Tenebrae Animam Redempti
by skylar.a.riley
Summary: Caroline Forbes has seven children. Six of them are vampires and one is a werewolf. However, the werewolf is Niklaus Mikaelson's reincarnation and is fated to die at the age of 25. In need of Klaus' help, Caroline brings her family into the bloodied New Orleans where the 'Centuries War' still goes on. Caroline will find that she has more than one person to save. AU KlausxCaroline
1. Chapter 1

150 years in the future from 2011 (After Graduation)

"All right, you have twenty seconds to be down here, dressed up FORMALLY with your studies completed. Are you ready? FIVE...FOUR….THREE…"

Caroline smiled while counting down, listening to the scatter of feet in the top floor. This was one of her favorite things to do with the kids. They were all so competitive and it was good for them to have the mindset of always trying to be better than the last time.

She knew they were all just waking up and this time would be harder than others, but she had an important guest coming today so she needed her children to be on their best behaviour. This little game also would help in case of emergency. If there was ever a time when the family would have to dress quickly then this would prove to be beneficial practice.

"TWO…"

Richard was the first to come racing down the steps. He was her youngest son. Just nine years old and he was still more mature than his brothers most of the time. He had dark brown hair like all of his older brothers except for Nick, who had blonde curly hair. His eyes, however were a warm brown. She grinned at him when he came racing up to greet her with a kiss on the cheek.

"G'morning, mum," he greeted, flying past her to sit down in his designated seat at the breakfast table.

Following Richard was his older twin brothers by three years, Kolby and Kory, who came bantering down the great staircase into the breakfast hall still tugging on each others' clothes as they greeted their mother. Thank God they had different colored eyes or else Caroline would have never known the difference. Kolby had shining, bright blue eyes and Kory had deep green emerald ones that shouted the table they sat opposite of Richard, and Caroline rolled her eyes as they messed with their younger brother.

Her eldest son, Michael, who looked to be twenty-five years of age came down to the breakfast hall in a casual walk. He was quite tall, standing at six foot-four. Like his younger brother Kolby he had blue eyes but they would change to green on more than one occasion. His hair was more black than brown and often tended to curl if he didn't gel it. Caroline secretly loved her oldest son's curly hair, it made him look more Greek than English. Stepping up to his mother, he gave her a warm hug and kiss on the forehead before sitting down next to Richard on his left.

"ONE!" Caroline shouted and laughed as she felt the 'swoosh' of air pinpoint when exactly her last two sons had arrived.

They stood in front of her now, and the young mother groaned as they continued to shove each other like normal brothers.  
Eli, the second oldest son stood right of Nick. Eli was 21 years old and had the same dark, curly hair like his brother Michael, except his eyes were just as black. Long and lean, he stood proudly at six foot-two as well as his brother Nick who stood at the same height.

Nick was 19 in age and had blonde, curly hair with dark roots. He was slightly more muscular than his brother Eli but was still just as lean.

Eli was the first out of the two to step forward and kiss his mother's cheek, muttering a quick "Good morning" before he went to sit next to Michael. Nick soon followed, and gave his mother a strong, firm hug, kissing her cheek as well.

When he leaned back to say good morning, Caroline gasped. His dimples were showing again and it was in moments like these where she couldn't help but imagine him standing in front of her. She smiled back at her son gently and let him pull back her chair and push her in.

Nick took his spot next to Kory at the end of the table, and Caroline began to worry about Stefan and Joanna until he appeared just seconds later. She sighed in relief and smiled up at him as he brought her two year-old daughter to her.

"Good morning, Care," Stefan greeted as he came to stand beside her. Gently he gave the just awoken Joanna to Caroline who gathered her in her arms. She smiled warmly down at her daughter when Joanna gave a little happy squeak upon seeing her mother.

"Good morning, sweetheart," Caroline cooed, receiving a delighted giggle from the two year-old.

Stefan smiled at the pair and leaned down to kiss his best friend and soul mate's head, rubbing her back. Caroline grinned up at him then and asked, "Where is Tessa at? Did she make it back home okay?"

"She's here, she came in this morning at two a.m. so she's sleeping in if you don't mind her absence," Stefan replied.

Caroline nodded. "Of course it's okay, after what she had to go through to get those herbs, I'm sure she'll need all the rest she can get. I'll go see her later today."

Stefan nodded and then sat to Caroline's left, getting settled in. Next to him sat Richard who talked animatedly with his uncle while the cooks and servants put breakfast on the table.

Caroline turned Joanna around in her lap so she sat facing the rest of her brothers, earning glances from the older siblings and a pinch on the cheek from Kolby. Joanna was really small for a two year old and had blonde curls like her brother Nick but Caroline knew that those would straighten out as the child got older. She had dark blue eyes and one dimple that could be seen only when she smiled. She was also very stubborn and selfish, always wanting things here and there and getting tired of them soon after. It was a struggle to keep the little girl in line but Caroline managed.

"Milady, your breakfast has been served," the head chef told her. She gave him a thankful and appreciative nod which he bowed to respectfully.

She grabbed his arm and told him sternly, "Jorge, make sure that you make a breakfast just as delicious for the rest of the staff and yourself. I want those who feed my family and I to be treated to the same pleasantries."

Jorge bowed and thanked her graciously before leading his staff back into the kitchen.

She turned and grinned evilly at her twin boys who had been poking at their food eagerly awaiting their mother's consent to begin eating.

"Are you hungry boys?" She asked them, and they both glared at her half-heartedly.

She let them squirm for a few more seconds before she shouted, "DIG IN!" and her boys began to feast on the breakfast in front of them.

Later that day, Caroline could be found watching from the balcony window her children play tag outside. It was good for them. It would help them develop good skills in avoiding capture and they loved being able to run at full speed. She smiled when she looked down and saw Stefan sat in the grass watching the boys. He had Joanna in his lap and Tessa sat beside him looking extremely tired but happy to be back.

Caroline was glad that Tessa and Stefan had found love in each other. They both needed it to ease their pain of being abandoned, judged, or misunderstood. Tessa, or Qetsiyah, as some people know her as, was the strongest woman Caroline had ever met and was so blessed that she was sisters with her. One of the oldest and most powerful witches; Tessa had been through alot in her two-thousand odd years. Caroline knew that being apart of this family was just as beneficial to the ancient witch as it was to Caroline herself.

Caroline's thoughts strayed to the visitor that would be arriving shortly.

Marcel.

Caroline had sent a letter personally to him to ask for a meeting at her home. She wished to talk with the former king of New Orleans on the upcoming trip her family would take to the bloodied city.  
She sighed then.

Ever since Klaus' arrival to New Orleans, war has been the only thing that famed city knew. The supernatural world called it the Centuries War, for it has gradually been approaching the second century mark of its happening.

According to her sources Marcel and The Mikaelson family have been fighting over the reigns of that city for years. Klaus had proclaimed himself the ruler of the city in the early 19th century but when he left his prodigy, Marcel, a former slave, had taken over and war has only ever been the following action.

How pathetic.

One thing Caroline hated above all was pointless death over something as corrupted as a power struggle. Power over people was the worst corruption there was and New Orleans did not deserve to be caught in the middle of that childish struggle. If Caroline hated one thing about Klaus it was his endless strive for more power. She knew that it mostly stemmed from childhood insecurities and the tragedy of Klaus' father abusing him but he had been alive for a thousand years. It was time to stop acting like a monster.

There was a knock at the door and Caroline turned to see Gerard peek his head through the door. "Milady, the guest has arrived and is downstairs waiting for you," he said.

Caroline nodded. "Thank you, Gerard," she said walking out the door with one of her loyal guards escorting her down to the lobby. "How are you doing today?"

Gerard grinned. "Very well, ma'am," he began, "for I have once again beaten your lovely twins Kolby and Kory at their own game again."

Caroline laughed at that. Kolby and Kory loved playing games with the guards, trying to fool them into believing they were the other twin but it never worked. Most of the guards have known them since they were born sixty years ago and they were trained to always be aware of the children in order to better protect them. Caroline felt grateful that the guards enjoyed her children so much, it would strengthen the desire to protect them if such an occasion happened where they needed to step in.

Caroline and Gerard stepped into the lobby, stopping the conversation from continuing. Marcel saw her first and he looked her up and down approvingly, giving her a wide grin that Caroline returned softly. She knew she had to tread lightly with this one. She had encountered many men in the middle of war and knew how easy it was to be drug into one. She would not make the same mistake.

"Caroline Forbes, the reigning Mother of Vampire Children and Those Gone Astray. It is a pleasure to be in your presence," Marcel said as way of hello. Caroline knew that his greeting was a mockery and admiration of her reputation in the supernatural world. She approached the older vampire and held out her hand for him to shake.

Marcel took it gently and brought her hand to his lips, kissing the back of it. Caroline remained stoic as he looked up at her mischievously. She supposed this was a good way of acting. If you were to be involved in a childish war you might as well act like one. How fitting, she thought.

"Marcel, former king of New Orleans," Caroline stated, her tone carefully hid her venom, "it is a pleasure to meet you as well. Please, shall we go talk in a place more private?" she asked rhetorically already turning around and leading the way to her chambers.

When two guards made to follow Caroline shook her head at them. "I will be fine," she told Gerard and Toby, "if you like, you may go help Stefan keep watch on the children. Thank you."

Marcel made no comment on the interaction, but opted to follow they younger vampire up the stairs.

Caroline led her to the room she had just vacated and held the door open for him to walk inside. She watched as Marcel got aware with his surroundings, and her lips turned up at the corner when he gave a slight shudder. She closed the door behind her and made her way towards him, her hands behind her back.

"No worries, it's just a privacy spell," she reassured when she saw his wary glance. "It will keep this conversation private from the others."

"You have your own little witch, too, do you?" Marcel commented. "Nice to have, I must admit."

Caroline gave him a look. "I do not 'have' a witch. Neither do I 'have' guards or servants. Tessa, or as you may know her as, Qetsiyah," his eyes widened dramatically, "is practically my sister and my best friend's wife. My guards came willingly to protect my family because I have helped them. You know of my reputation. Most, if not all, of 'those gone astray' as you put it earlier feel indebted to me and have opted to protect this household. My servants are the humans that are left with nothing and came to me to offer servitude in exchange of a hefty salary. I treat them as I would anyone: with respect and I ask you give the same kindness to them as I would."

Marcel nodded after a moment but asked the question Caroline saw coming after her little speech. "Your sister, Qetsiyah," he started, "she is the witch who created the immortality spell?"

Caroline nodded. "She is my family and I am blessed to have such a powerful witch by my side."

Marcel nodded in agreement. "I totally understand. Not a lot can hurt you with her on your side."

"So...what is it that you wish to discuss with me, Caroline?" Marcel asked after an awkward lull in the conversation. Caroline had moved to stand in front of the balcony and looked up at him after a moment.

"Come here, Marcel. I think it's best if I just show you first," she said, holding out a hand towards him. Marcel made his way towards her and Caroline led him out onto the balcony, to look out over the railing. Down below, Stefan and Tessa had gone to play with the older boys and Joanna was now sleeping soundly on top of Michael's chest, who laid peacefully on the ground. Kolby and Kory were currently the ones 'it' and were being chased by Stefan. Tessa had decided to help her two young nephews and kept their bodies hidden, only revealing their smell.

Richard was currently being taught how to fight with his older brothers Eli and Nick and Caroline waited for Marcel to notice it.

It didn't take long. He had been looking down curiously at the large group of children and when he finally saw what Caroline needed to explain his jaw dropped and he looked back and forth between mother and son.

"I don't understand. How can he..?" Marcel stammered, clearly flustered.

Caroline smiled softly and put a hand on his shoulder. "I know. This is one of the reasons I brought you here to talk today." She gestured towards her son Nick who was wrestling with Richard. "That is Nick. As you have noticed, he is an exact carbon copy of Niklaus Mikaelson. He isn't a doppelganger, though. He's Klaus' reincarnation."

Marcel gave her an incredulous look then. "A reincarnation? What do you mean?"

She took a deep breath before she dove in. "When Klaus died all those years ago a part of his soul got taken from him and has been shoved into other humans with the likeness of his appearance throughout centuries. I don't know why but it has happened. The problem is most of the incarnations don't live past the age of 25, which was apparently the age Klaus turned into a vampire. Nick, however is a peculiar case."

"He was born with the werewolf gene and it was triggered by a psychotic doctor when he was just four years old, unlike Klaus who never triggered the werewolf curse while being human."

Marcel frowned at the part about the psychotic doctor but Caroline had no need to explain that with this vampire. She continued.

"I don't know how that will affect what may happen when he turns 25 but he is doing everything he can to live as long as his vampire siblings. Tessa has put a spell on him that ages him along the same lines of his brothers but it is not enough for him. Like Klaus, he wishes to become as powerful as he can but not for the same reasons. He does not wish to control anyone or any city, he only wishes to have the power to better protect his family which I do not criticize him for but it is unnecessary. However, you and I know both know that denying someone something will only make them want it that much more. That is why I need to visit New Orleans."

Marcel looked serious as he took all the information in and stood straighter when Caroline stated her need to step into the damaged city. "Nick wishes to become a hybrid like his incarnation and to do so he needs Klaus' blood and that of a doppelganger. We are missing one part of that combination and you know which part that is."

He nodded.

"All I ask of you is that on upon our arrival to New Orleans, my family will not be harmed or taken as hostages in your war. We will NOT be used as pawns, do you understand?" Caroline demanded, suddenly getting determined.

Marcel grinned. "Of course I do."

"Good, because if you or any one of your lackeys harms a single hair on one of my childrens' head I will personally make you suffer."

Marcel held his hands up in defense. "Easy, Caroline, I will not touch your children or family. But just know that Nick's presence will cause an uproar in the city. Lots of people aren't too fond of Klaus down there and loyalty has been hard to come by lately. I can't promise anything with him."

Caroline stayed quiet for a minute before she looked up at him again. "Our stay will not be long. Hopefully, if Klaus acts civil," Caroline rolled her eyes and the two vampires shared a mutual laugh. "Most of my children are vampires Marcel, even my little Joanna, who is only two," Caroline stated seriously.

"I want you to know that we will not feed on any of the humans there, we have our own loyal servants who offer their blood gladly to us. They are not compelled to do so, just for your information," Caroline said proudly, grinning at his incredulous expression. "So. Will you allow us to visit New Orleans unharmed?"

Marcel pondered for a moment but Caroline knew he would agree. There was no reason not to.

He held out his hand in the way one would to end a deal and Caroline shook it firmly. "You have my word that you will not be attacked by myself or anyone loyal to me in New Orleans. Just know that I will not offer my protection to your family if one of Klaus' subjects attack you. We are an outside party to this."

Caroline nodded in agreement, but she doubted that any of Klaus' men could hurt her or her family. Her family was quite strong after all.

Marcel left soon after that, leaving Caroline to wonder and think about her upcoming visit to New Orleans.

After all, she would be seeing _him_ again.


	2. Chapter 2

Caroline was in one of those reminiscent moods today. Especially since tomorrow she would be leaving to get on a plane headed for New Orleans.

It would be the first time in a hundred and fifty years that she would be back in the states.

After graduation, Caroline had attempted college with Elena and then dead Bonnie but things didn't work out as they often didn't. Tyler was still hellbent on revenge over loving her and that relationship ended after just two days of being back together.

Silas remained a nuisance to the Mystic Falls gang, or more so the Elena fanclub ( . Damon and Elena). That's where she met Qetsiyah, or Tessa as she likes to be called.

She was with Katherine then and they were looking for the old witch who currently had Stefan under that memory loss spell. On arriving at the witch's door, Caroline would never forget walking in on Stefan and Tessa 'getting to know each other better' if you knew what she meant.

After many tests on how well-suited Tessa was for her best friend Stefan, Caroline gave her consent. They became friends soon after that, a factor probably being their mutual insecurity issues with doppelgangers and boyfriends. man, he was the reason it happened and when Nick transformed one evening, terrifying his family out of their wits, he was left behind. Caroline could understand the parents' fear of what was happening to their baby but there was no reason to ever, EVER abandon an infant in a situation like that.

Stefan got his memories back and although he tried to be with his brother and ex-girlfriend, it wasn't so easy. Not long after did Caroline suggest they take a road trip around the world.

They never came back.

They went to all the tropical islands, where Caroline enjoyed a few flings but never found love in any of them. It was sort of sickening for her to watch Stefan and Tessa in their constant honeymoon phase, though. She remembered being really bitchy to them for a while because of it.

And when they went to England for a nice retreat at a rural estate, they never made it to the next destination.

It had been twenty five years since the trio departed from Mystic Falls when they settled into the estate home. Caroline had fallen in love with the massive house upon first sight and swore that she would one day own it. Stefan and Tessa had laughed but they might as well have made themselves at home in the place because once Caroline set her mind to something it might as well have been written in stone.

The estate itself sat between two very large and old oak trees, its branches reaching just over the rooftop of the place. Behind the house was a massive cleared land with a small lake over the hill. In front was a long, cobblestone drive that curved around a large garden.

Caroline could go on and on about the structure and design of the place. It was simply put: beautiful and ancient. The estate dated back to being first built in the early 16th century and some if not all of the original structure remained standing still.

A month after they settled into their permanent home, Caroline discovered her future children.

On an abandoned, gravel road a couple of miles outside of the estate was a small square building. Caroline had been out on one of her hunts and came upon the loud wail of multiple children. Always the caretaker, she had immediately gone to the building to save the children.

Long story short there was a psychotic doctor that wanted to experiment with the effects of turning toddlers and infants into vampires. When Caroline had gone inside she found Michael who was only five and Eli, who was just 3. One of the main reasons the children had been crying was because they were hungry. Hungry for human blood. Apparently trying to give them animal blood only irritated them further. It was the equivalent of giving a human child vegetables.

She had quickly disposed of the psychopath and had taken the two young boys to the estate, knowing that turning them in would only create a higher death risk. So she took them back home to Stefan and Tessa. Scared to death, Michael and Eli had gripped onto Caroline like she was a lifeline, their eyes black and veins rippling. The poor things were scared and starving.

Both Caroline and Tessa had calmed them down while Stefan went out to collect blood bags. When Stefan came back the boys drank the blood and it seemed to sate their thirst for a while but they still thirsted for blood from the vein and it would prove to be a major challenge for Caroline to keep them from running off on killing sprees later on.

Michael and Eli were the first children. Nick came next. He was younger than Eli when she found him transforming in a cage deep in the woods. It was a sight Caroline would never forget. There was nothing Caroline could do to stop the transformation so, she sat down with the little two-year old Nick, taking every bite he gave with determination. It was then that Caroline was glad that Klaus had sent her a fridge full of his blood for her protection in college. She would need that for a long while now until Nick could control his urge to bite her.

Nick's parents had apparently abandoned him after he triggered the werewolf gene by accidently stumbling out into the road one day, causing a car to swerve right off the road into a telephone pole. Although he didn't directly kill the man, he was the reason it happened and when Nick transformed one evening, terrifying his family out of their wits, he was left behind. Caroline could understand the parents' fear of what was happening to their baby but there was no reason to ever, EVER abandon an infant in a situation like that.

Although Nick was a werewolf, he was also human, so he would age much more quickly than his older brothers Michael and Eli. Michael and Eli would age, but it would take five years for them to age one year as a human would. So when Nick had turned five and Michael had aged only one year, Tessa put a spell on Nick that would age him the same as his siblings.

Kolby and Kory were found in the alleyways of a small town twenty miles away from home. Caroline by then was beginning to worry why she was finding so many abandoned supernatural children but nonetheless she had decided to care for as many children she found, even if it was fifty or a hundred of them. The twins were both four when they were found, by Caroline, and Stefan only shook his head sadly when the worried mother of three brought home two more sons.

Richard and Joanna were found last. They were biological siblings just like Michael and Eli except this time the parents were the ones to do this to their children. The parents had just been turned into vampires and not wanting to outlive their children, they turned seven year old, Richard, and six month old Joanna into vampires. However, not soon after, the parents were killed for turning children into vampires by a local vampire-hunting group of humans. They didn't do anything with the children though, and had them locked up in cages until Caroline came in and saved the day. They were going to kill them anyway.

It was hard at first...taking care of so many hungry, vampire children, not including getting bitten countlessly once a month by Nick but she managed to make it through. After forty years of gathering blood bags from local clinics and that not being enough to calm them down, Tessa suggested they drink from the vein.

"What are you crazy? They'll kill them!" Caroline had shouted at her sister. Tessa just smiled weakly.

"Do you want to live in constant worry that they're going to snap one day and run off? I don't think so, Care. We could take in people desperate for money or homeless. We could give them a place to live here and they would liven normally and in an estate like this."

Caroline knew it was bound to happen but she hesitated. Knowing full well what it was like to be a human blood bag, she had no desire to put any one else in the same position. Stefan had assured that if anyone could teach the children control it would be her and that the humans would never live in fear. With Stefan and Tessa's encouragement, Caroline gradually let the children have human blood from the vein. In fact, she assigned a special human to each one of her children. These were usually people who were homeless and really sick with disease. Her children, in order to acquire their blood source, would offer their blood as a cure in exchange for their servitude to them. Most readily agreed, having no home or family to go home to, the humans soon found their home in Caroline's.

Things had run smoothly from then on. Stefan and Tessa had their formal wedding a couple years after Caroline started bringing humans in. Liz Forbes, Caroline's mother spent her last days here and died of old age at 98. Matt came to live with them for a while with his human wife, Natalie. They liked for the children to call them grandma and grandpa when they visited and enjoyed the way the boys would put the young Mother on edge every day with worry.

Katherine made an appearance as well, when they had just brought in Joanna and Richard. She stayed with them for a month and when she left, she left a pint of her blood in her guest room. Next to it, a note stated: Caroline, you and I both know that Nick is like his incarnation, Klaus and will only strive for more power. So here is my blood. I offer this to you as a gift because I know how much of a menace the boy will turn into if he won't get his way. You can say thank you. Katherine Pierce x.

Caroline had scoffed, Stefan just shrugged, and Tessa had it stored away in a special preservation box for when the time inevitably came that they would need it.

Damon and Elena split after fifty years together. Apparently, the couple got tired of the constant drama and suspense of being together and called it quits. Caroline knew, because Damon showed up with a beaming Bonnie by his side, a ring on her finger. She was shocked, to say the least, but kept her mouth shut on judging her best friend because she knew she might get zapped if she did so. Bonnie then told Caroline about Jeremy's horrible accident in college. He was on his way home from a student trip to Europe when the plane got struck by lightning.

Caroline gave her sympathies but she was also mad at her friend for a while. How could they not tell her about something like that?! She wasn't dead! You could still tell her if someone had DIED.

Elena's whereabouts were unknown. Apparently she had gone to Bulgaria and never came back after Jeremy's funeral. The last Bonnie heard, she was dating some greek male model. Well as long as she was happy.

Caroline allowed her children to "date" but warned them that relationships with humans could only last so long until they started to know you weren't aging along with them. So, suffice it to say, not many of her children had long term relationships, only quick dates to movies.

Unwillingly, Klaus came up in her thoughts.

The only time Caroline and Klaus 'spoke' was through a letter he had sent her after she sent him two photographs of herself with a letter of her own.

_Dear Klaus,_

_ I can't believe I'm over a century old. Does time really go by that fast as a vampire? I feel as if my mother and Matt died too soon, even though they both died in their late nineties. _  
_ Anyways, I'm doing honestly amazing. I travelled the world as much as I could with Stefan and his wife, Qetsiyah (SHE IS MY SISTER KLAUS, DO NOT TRY TO HURT HER), until I found my home in the most beautiful estate I've ever seen in England. It is so gorgeous, Klaus, I swear I can live here the rest of my life. Oh my God, I'm admiring nature, am I that old already?_  
_ In more important news, I'm a proud mother of seven rowdy, beautiful children. Six sons and one beautiful little girl. Oh, and by the way, they are all vampires besides Nick, who is a werewolf. He reminds me of you a lot. Don't ask why. Anywho, they age but not as quickly as a human child would. The point where they stop aging is twenty five, because Michael has not aged one bit for twenty years. He's my oldest son by the way. He's very wise and serious. He looks greek but talks and acts like he's british. _  
_ Eli is the same way. Him and Michael are biological brothers actually. He gets along really well with Nick. All I have to say about Nick is that I'm glad you gave me that mini fridge with your blood all those years ago because it has been hell getting bitten by your werewolf son so many times in the year. He's learned to control the urge though and for that I am both proud and thankful. So thank you SO much for the blood. _  
_ I have twins! Kolby and Kory, both little shitheads sometimes but I love them. They always want to play mind games with everyone and get themselves hurt. I never met Kol, your brother, but from Elena's description of him, he could be my boys' ancestor for all I know. At least in their personality traits. _  
_ My youngest son is Richard. He's the sweetest boy and loves his little sister Joanna so much. It's adorable. Joanna is still really young, she just turned a year old two months ago, but she reminds me of Rebekah in some moments. She can be really greedy and stubborn, but she loves being protected by her siblings. Because that is what siblings do, Klaus, THEY PROTECT EACH OTHER. I won't go any further because it'll only make me want to rant. _  
_ I'm sure you might be wondering how they are all vampires but I don't want to talk about it in a letter. Maybe if we ever meet again, I'll let them tell you themselves. It's quite heartbreaking. _  
_ I assume you're wondering why the hell I wrote this letter, aren't you? I DID spend five months just writing and deleting, off and on because sometimes I just don't know what to say to you and it took a while for me to actually figure out the real reason why I was doing this to begin with. _  
_ I'm lonely for one. I know I am surrounded by family and all but seeing Stefan and Tessa share love like that makes me want companionship so bad sometimes. And upon never really dating anyone seriously over the years and after many excuses involving children, I have forced myself to realize something. _  
_ I miss you. YOU. You and your stupid, idiotic, annoying hybrid self. _  
_ Stop smirking, I'm imagining stabbing you right now if you are. WITH A WHITE OAK STAKE. _  
_ After time, and after a lot of failed attempts at liking a guy for more than the pleasure his dick brings, I concluded that I hated you for ruining me. You and your stupid dimples when you grinned, and your stupid drawing that I unfortunately STILL have and…_  
_ I think you understand. _  
_ I'm not sorry for acting the way I did in high school. You deserved most of it after all and you WERE chasing a taken woman. _  
_Sigh. _  
_ You'll find two pictures in here. The one in color is of myself at Stefan and Tessa's wedding. This one you can show off to Elijah and Rebekah and to the world. The other one, however, is for YOUR eyes only mister. It's not a naked picture. I'm not that nice. I just thought I might tease you while you engage in that stupid war of yours. Seriously, Klaus? Grow up already. I don't care if he took what's yours, just kill HIM and end it. Why do you have to make everything such a big deal? 'Oh, how dare you steal my car, I will kill you and every single person you've ever met!' _  
_ Sorry, I had to say that. _  
_ I hope you enjoy this letter and the photographs more than I enjoyed writing it. _

_Oh yeah. Please don't die._

_Caroline xx._

Two months later Caroline received a letter from the man himself.

_ Dear Caroline,_

_ Sweetheart, you should know not to surprise me in times like these. I was strategizing battle tactics with my men when I received your letter. You see, for one I don't get mail that much these days, if ever, and when I received a letter, let alone FROM YOU, I almost had a heart attack. _  
_ I kind of spoiled the surprise by looking at the photographs you sent first instead of reading the letter. I don't know if I have said this before, love, but you are the most beautiful creature I have ever had the misfortune of wanting. I have a bad luck in wanting things that don't want me. _  
_ I want to know who took the second photograph, because if it is a male, I'm sorry, but I am afraid I will have to kill him. I promise I'll make it quick, just for you. _  
_ Stefan is married, is he? To Qetsiyah, the witch who created the immortality spell and and the Vampire Hunter race who I spent half a century being tormented by? That Qetsiyah? I suppose you will believe that I deserved that torture but pain is pain, love. I guess I can make an exception with her. After all, she is quite powerful and if she is your sister like you say then she will protect you. If she doesn't...well, you know. _  
_ It's no surprise you took care and became the mother of those supernatural children. You have always had that need to protect and care about people. It's one of the traits I admire about you, love. They all sound lovely, sweetheart, except I worry about Kolby and Kory. If they are as rambunctious as Kol then you have a lot on your plate there, love. One Kol is a handful, but two is insanity. Good luck with that. _  
_ Your son Nick worries me. Why did you stay in the same room as him on the night of the full moon? It scares me to think of the many many years that you had to be bitten over and over again. Like you, I am thankful that I gave you so much of my blood. I mean, I worried, but I didn't think you would need it this much, to be honest. _  
_ I don't appreciate the stab at the way our family works, but I will take it only because it's you. And my war involvement is childish? Well, I guess you would see it like that, you are after all a mother and a wo-. I'll stop there. I would not wish for you to resent me. _  
_ I miss you too, sweetheart. _  
_ I miss the way you can just light up a dark room with your presence. I need that right now, after losing a lot of men recently. I miss you for the way you always went against everything I did. It was refreshing and also amusing to have such a baby vampire mouth off to me. _  
_ I didn't really enjoy hearing about the way in which you salvaged your loneliness, love. But I assume since it was said so graphically, it is a sore spot with you? Well, we have a mutual feeling of aloneness then. If I could have, I would have been telling you all this in person but I have a war on my hands that is not yet over. I believe the saying is: 'I would if I could'. _  
_ I guess this is as good a time as any to inform you on what has been going on in the past century or so in New Orleans. _  
_Hayley, you might remember her as the wolf that tried to turn my hybrids against me, had gotten pregnant with what I then assumed was my child. Don't be angry, love, I later found out that it was actually Tyler's. That I am sorry about, because he had gotten her pregnant while being with you. I'm not sorry for bedding the little wolf while still in Mystic Falls. You were still quite anti-Klaus at the time and I was feeling rather threatened by the cure and Silas. _  
_ Actually Hayley and Elijah shared a little infatuation with each other before things abruptly ended when Hayley was killed by one of Marcel's lackeys. Tyler and their son, Trevor, left and lived in Michigan. That was the last I heard of them. _  
_ Rebekah is still annoying little sister, but I still grudgingly love her, even though she continues to go back in forth between loving and hating Marcel. Ridiculous. _  
_ That is what has been happening in the family lately. I need to make something clear, though. Caroline, as much as I desire you to be here with me I have to politely, and unwillingly, beg you to stay in your home in England. Things are getting more intense down here and I have no idea if it will ever end. I would hate myself if you ever got hurt in this war. So, I respectfully ask that any visit from you for whatever reason be postponed to a later date. _  
_ I've never said it out loud, but…_  
_ I love you, sweetheart. You already knew that, though, didn't you? _  
_ I miss you so much and I wait impatiently for the day where we will meet again._

_Yours always, _  
_Klaus._

Caroline sighed, as she brought herself out of her reverie. That letter was sent to her eight years ago and was tucked safely in a special drawer along with his drawing.

"Well, Klaus," Caroline muttered, standing up, "I hope you're ready for me because I'm coming if you like it or not."

A/N: I tried to put in pictures of Candice in here but it wouldn't upload. The second photograph is the one of Candice in just a long sweater with her hair curled and down. It's in black and white and I'm sure most of you have seen it.


	3. Chapter 3

Klaus was lounging in his study when a green light lit up his cell phone, indicating a text message.

Opening up his phone, he saw that it was from Caroline.

The last contact they had had with each other was eight years ago when they exchanged letters. Smiling wistfully, Klaus turned to look up at the far wall where a large painting hung. After receiving the two photographs of her, Klaus had been inspired to paint the one of her at Stefan's wedding. She had looked so vibrant and happy. The light in her seemed to beam from inside. She was simply stunning and he had painted one of her so he could look up and be reminded that there were genuine, good people in the world. People whose first instinct was not to kill but save those who seemed like monsters.

When Klaus pulled down the screen his eyes widened at the amount of messages sent to him from her. Suddenly concerned, Klaus opened them up to read them.

**I know it's short notice but my family and I, along with our human entourage and guards (only 2), are on our way now to New Orleans. We have a house that we are renting a couple of miles outside of the city because we are nineteen in number (Each of my children have their own personal human caretaker/blood source).**

**Don't be mad but I kinda asked Marcel to come have a meeting with me a couple of days ago to discuss our visit. I just wanted to make sure that him and his 'people' or whatever wouldn't attack us when we arrived. Can you do the same with your men? I don't want to have to involve myself in pointless killing, although Stefan might enjoy that…**

**There's someone that you need to meet, Klaus. My son, Nick. There's a lot of explaining that I have to do with both of you.**

**We will officially be in New Orleans tomorrow morning. My guards, Toby and John, will drive our human friends to the house so do not stop the large black SUV driving through town, ok? My family and I will be acclimating ourselves with the area for a little bit. If you would wait, I would like to come see you tomorrow evening** **with my son, Nick. I'd like it to just be between us three when I explain everything.**

**Sorry to tell you on such short notice but I didn't want to argue with you over it.**

**I'll see you soon.**

Klaus was annoyed and slightly furious when he finished reading the last text message and rubbed tiredly at his eyes.

_Why_ would she talk with Marcel? He now had leverage against him! Marcel knew of her because of her reputation in the supernatural world but he didn't know of the past between Caroline and himself. No matter what Marcel agreed to, or promised, Caroline and her family were in danger. Once she left back home for England, there was no promises that Marcel would hold onto his deal and not attack her. In fact, Klaus was_ positive_ that the moment Caroline and her family left, he would go after her.

_Well not if he could do anything about it_, Klaus thought.

A moment passed and then Klaus grinned. He would be seeing her again. Klaus, like Caroline, had trouble believing that they hadn't seen each other in so long. He summed it up to busy lives, what with her having a supernatural family to maintain and him fighting in a war…

To be honest, he was more excited to actually see her than worried about her visit. He would keep her safe and no one could kill him anyways. He had burned the white oak stake a long time ago. All they could do was lock him up.

He was confused about one part of her abundance of messages, though.

From what she said, her son had some sort of connection with him and Klaus pondered over what it could be. He couldn't see how her son would have any sort of connection with him. They'd never met, but the original hybrid was curious as to what that was about.

He saw that ten minutes had passed since she sent the massive text message. Typing quickly, he sent a reply telling her he got the it.

**You and I need to have a word, love, on your complete blunder with Marcel. That wasn't very smart of you, sweetheart. I hope you realize that he will be going back on his deal once you leave again and will ultimately try to capture you and use you against me. No worries, I will never allow him to touch you. **

**You've come at a good time. Things are somewhat calmed down for I don't know how long so I'm not ****_too_**** mad at your unplanned arrival.**

**I'm curious as to what you have to say about Nick and I. I hope it is nothing too serious.**

**Otherwise, I'm quite anxious to see you again, love. Do hurry in scoping out the city and come see me as soon as you can. We need to catch up, don't you think?**

Satisfied with his message, he returned to reading one of his favorite books.

On a plane at around one a.m. (she was still a far ways away from the U.S.), Caroline's phone beeped. Leaning forward in her seat with Joanna asleep on her lap, she pulled the phone out of the back seat pocket.

She quirked an eyebrow when she saw the messages all from Klaus and quickly read through them. Angry and flirtatious in one massive text? Only Klaus was capable of such a feat.

Joanna stirred from the glow of the phone's light shining on her and Caroline shut it so she could sleep better. Pushing the seat back so she could sleep more comfortably, Caroline pulled her daughter closer to her body and closed her eyes, thinking about seeing Klaus again.

_The next day_

The jet carrying the large family finally landed in New Orleans around eight thirty a.m., and Caroline instructed Toby and John on how to get to the house so the caretakers could get everything settled in along with all their luggage.

Once half of their group left, Caroline turned to face her family, clapping her hands together to gather their attention. She looked at Stefan who had little Joanna gripping his pants, and gave him a nod. He smiled reassuringly at her.

"Okay, listen up everyone!" she called. "As you all know, New Orleans is currently still in the middle of a war so there will be no sneaking out to go to a bar or club," she glared pointedly at Nick and Eli who just grinned at each other. "Think of this not so much as a vacation but as 'Mom took the whole family along on her business trip'. Nick, you will be coming with me later on today to meet up with Klaus. Stefan, Tessa, if you wouldn't mind keeping a watch over the kids while we're gone..?" she trailed off.

Tessa shook her head. "Caroline, there's no need to ask us, you know we'll keep our nephews and niece in line. Or I'll give them a little zap if they misbehave!" she teased, playfully glaring at the twins. Kolby and Kory stuck out their tongues at their aunt childishly.

"Alright, now on to the agenda for today," Caroline clapped. "We will be dividing into groups of two. I want each group to thoroughly assess each assigned area and report back to the house at five this evening. You will need to to give a full report on the people there, any supernatural beings you find, and whether or not it is on Klaus' side or Marcel's. Everyone understand?"

"Yes," the kids replied. Stefan and Tessa nodded.

"Okay, here are the groups," Caroline said, pulling out a clipboard. "Michael and Richard, Kolby and Eli, Kory and Tessa, Stefan and Joanna, and Nick, you will be with me. Does anyone need a refresher on on where they are assigned to go?" Everyone shook their head no.

After the instructions were done, Caroline said goodbye to each of her kids with a hug and "Be safe" before leaving with Nick into the heart of New Orleans.

Caroline had decided that she would talk with Nick first about how he was a reincarnation of Klaus before they met up with him later. So when she led him to a bench in a park, he shot her a questioning look. The young mother sighed heavily, wringing her hands together.

"What is it, mum?" he asked after a few awkwards moments of silence. Caroline sighed before reaching over to grab one of his hands and hold it gently between both of hers.

"There's something I need to tell you," she began, watching as his brows furrowed in concern. "You need to know that there's more than one reason why we're here besides turning you into a full hybrid."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, worried now. Caroline squeezed his hand, nervous herself about what she was about to tell him and how he would react to it. This could go really badly or really smoothly.

"Just...listen to all of what I'm going to tell you. You need to hear the entire story before you jump to conclusions."

He nodded slowly after a moment, looking warily at her.

"Nick...you're a reincarnation," she said. Nick's eyes narrowed but he stayed silent. "You're actually a reincarnation of..._Klaus_, who you want to get blood from in order to turn into a hybrid."

"_What_?" Nick growled.

"Just listen, please," Caroline hurried, when Nick snatched his hand back.

"Please explain, mother, because I'm at a loss for words right now," he spat and Caroline flinched.

This wasn't going to go over well when she told the rest of it.

"You're Klaus' reincarnation. What this pretty much means is that a part of his soul, the one that got lost when he died and became a vampire, is in you. You hold part of his human soul along with your own. You're not the only one, there have been many Klaus' reincarnations through the centuries and we don't know why. Tessa and I tried figuring that out but we never discovered anything besides the fact that most, if not all of Klaus' reincarnations…die," Caroline choked, "at the age of twenty-five, which was the age Klaus died when he became a vampire."

Nick was shaking. He now was standing up and looked down at his mother incredulously.

"So, what are you trying to say, mum? That I'm going to die when I turn twenty-five? Is that it? What does all this even _mean_?" he rattled off, clearly confused by the whole thing.

Caroline sighed. "No, we found out a while ago that once you turn into a hybrid, you break the "reincarnation curse" as I call it. The reincarnations before were fully human, but you're not, so that changes things a bit. But you need to die and become a hybrid so that part of Klaus' soul is returned to him and you will be just Nick, but immortal and your own person."

Nick sat back down on the bench, overwhelmed by all the new information. Caroline waited anxiously for him to respond, worried about what he would do.

After a long period of time, where Nick went back and forth between glaring at Caroline and the ground, he finally spoke.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" he asked quietly, his voice monotone.

Caroline looked down at her feet and took a deep breath. "I didn't want you to grow up knowing that you were going to die when you turned twenty five. Like I said, we only just recently found out how to break the "reincarnation curse" so up until now I've always thought I was going to lose you at some point. And when you discovered that you could become a hybrid, I saw it as a perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone by coming here. I'm so sorry that I never told you, but I wanted you to have a happy childhood," Caroline's voice broke and she let out a sob as she remembered finding him in that awful cage so long ago. All she wanted was for her son to live a long life and be happy. She hated when any of her children were upset, especially with her because it made her feel like she was failing them. She didn't want that. She wanted to be the best mother they could possibly have and she tried so hard.

Nick didn't offer any kind of comfort to his mother which made her cry harder. Locking gazes with her he muttered "I need time to think," and stood up, walking briskly away from her.

She watched him stalk off away from her and shut her eyes trying to hold back the tears but they forced themselves out.

She knew he was just overwhelmed and that he needed time to himself to think about it but it still hurt to see him so angry with her. She would let him let off some steam and head over to Klaus' early, for she had nothing else to do now besides tell him. Nick would come later and then she guessed that they could maybe meet and talk about things themselves.

Wiping her eyes, Caroline stood, heading in the opposite direction as her son Nick.

Caroline was standing in Klaus' driveway. Her breath still hitched on occasion from sobbing but she was determined to tell Klaus everything before he accidentally ran into Nick in town. Slowly, she made her way towards his front door, keeping her steps silent so as not to alert him that she was here.

But her hopes were futile because when she was just ten feet away from the steps leading up to the door, _he_ stepped out.

Klaus froze when he glanced down and saw her standing in his driveway. His eyes widened in shock. Standing before him was Caroline, the woman he loved who he had not seen for far too many years.

She looked stunning.

Her looks were the same but she oozed strength and Klaus stood in awe of her for a while until he noticed her eyes that were red.

Had she been crying?

Caroline felt tears well up in her eyes again but for different reasons.

The longing sensation that had been tearing at her gut for years suddenly dissipated, and all she wanted to do was run into his arms and let him hold her there forever. She didn't realize how much she truly missed him and how he made her feel protected until she was standing right in front of him.

He hadn't changed at all.

Just as she remembered, he wore one of his classic henley shirts along with a pair of boots and jeans. He still had his famous stubble which made him look that much more masculine and his eyes were the same deep blue. Everything she denied attractive about him was the same and standing in front of her. It was hard to believe that she had gone over a century without seeing him in person.

_It's been so long_...she thought.

With a sad whimpering of his name, she fulfilled that longing and ran as fast as she could into his arms.

Klaus was ready for her and caught her as she slammed full force into him. She locked her arms around his neck and he did the same around her middle, pulling her as close to him as he could. He buried his face in her neck, inhaling her sweet scent that he had been deprived of for 150 years. Her soft hair covered his face but he didn't care. She was _here_.

"_Caroline_…" Klaus' voice broke on her name and he held her tighter to him. _God_ had he missed her.

He felt her sob against his shoulder and his heart clenched in his chest. A rush of protectiveness swept over him as he put his hand on the back of her head, gently rubbing her hair to soothe her.

She was gripping his henley shirt in her hands and he smiled when he heard her breathing him in too. He kissed her shoulder.

They stood like that for who knows how long, just holding onto each other as tight as they could making up for lost time. When they eventually pulled away so they could look at each other, Klaus made sure to keep his arms around her waist. Caroline moved her hands so they now cupped his jaw and she tearfully smiled at him, closing her eyes as she ran her fingers over his stubble. She giggled lightly when her thumb felt his dimple.

He kissed her forehead in response.

_God_ had she missed him and she told him so, her voice still cracking from crying.

"I didn't think I would miss you this much but I guess I did," she laughed, locking eyes with him.

He grinned and cupped her beautiful face in his hands when he whispered, "Let's take this inside, sweetheart."

And they did.


	4. Chapter 4

By the window of a local New Orleans' restaurant sat Rebekah Mikaelson who, after taking a swig of her champagne, turned to look out into the streets.

She nearly choked on her drink at the sight she found.

"What the hell?" She spluttered, staring out incredulously onto the street where a man stood, looking extremely agitated.

For the life of her, Rebekah swore that the man outside was the younger version of her older brother.

_Klaus_.

* * *

_The Mikaelson Residence (New Orleans)_

Caroline couldn't let go of him.

When Klaus had brought her inside he had made to release her but she wouldn't let him. Instead, she had just grabbed ahold of his shirt and pulled him to her so she could feel that emotion again.

Safety. Companionship. The feeling of being cherished by someone.

Caroline wouldn't admit it to anyone but she had been lonely the past century and a half. And after not feeling anything more than attraction for someone she had given up on trying to make something more out of it. It just wasn't worth the disappointment.

She blamed Klaus.

She could deny it all and come up with every justified excuse but in the end, she held feelings for this man that went farther than just attraction. She summed it up to his personality matching hers and the fact that he would make an exception _just_ for her.

The man in question was enjoying Caroline's open affection for him and gladly returned it by enfolding her in his arms, his fingers running through her soft hair.

Neither of them felt the need to do anything more than hold each other and both were content in doing just that. The Original Hybrid brought her to his bedroom and sat down on his bed, pulling her onto his lap. All he did was cradle her to him and occasionally kiss her hair, temple, cheek..

Caroline snuggled into him, her face pressed against his neck with her hands curled under her chin. She smiled every time she felt his lips brush her skin and would trace his collarbone with the tips of her fingers, just reacquainting herself with him.

They stayed like that for a while, long enough for the light coming through the window to dim a little. That was when Klaus decided to break the silence.

"I don't believe I've ever done this before, sweetheart," he said in a light tone, running his fingertips along her spine. Caroline leaned back on his lap to look at him. He was smiling softly but his eyes swam with emotions she couldn't quite place. She got the feeling that overall, he was happy.

"What are you talking about?" she finally replied, raising a questioning brow at him.

Klaus just simply stared at her, his mouth parted slightly. She could see the admiration in his gaze and felt the mood change between them to something more intimate.

_Did she really have that much of an affect on him?_

Caroline froze when he brought his hand up to cup her cheek, his fingers tangling in her hair.

"Caroline," he whispered hesitantly, leaning forward. Caroline recognized the move and knew that what he was about to do would change the rest of her week, of _everything_.

She didn't stop him.

Her heart began to beat faster with every inch he closed between them. She could feel his own heart beat fast when he pulled her flush against his chest. She closed her eyes when they're foreheads touched, reaching up to cover the hand that cradled her jaw with her own.

"Klaus," she murmured, feeling the barest touch of his lips on hers.

"_Nik_!"

With a start, the pair jumped away from each other at the sound of Rebekah's frantic call. Caroline, as dignified as she could, got off the bed, giving Klaus a wary look. She grinned, though, upon recognizing the frustration written all over the scowl he currently wore. When he saw her holding back a laugh he glared at her.

"Don't. Even." he warned in a whisper, coming to her side.

"NIKLAUS, I CAN HEAR YOU UP THERE! COME DOWN _RIGHT. NOW_!" Rebekah yelled. Klaus groaned, annoyed at his sister, before he put a hand on Caroline's lower back, escorting her out of the room.

Caroline grew worried and cautiously followed behind Klaus as he led her out into the hall. She followed him to the massive staircase and bit her lip, wondering how this situation would go down.

"There you are," Caroline heard Rebekah say when Klaus came into view. "Nik, listen-what the bloody hell? _Caroline_? What is _she_ doing here, Nik?!"

However, Caroline didn't reply, her heart had stopped in her chest.

There, down below, was her son Nick; bloodied and laying lifeless at Rebekah's feet who stared at Caroline incredulously.

"Nick!" Caroline cried, flashing past two bewildered originals.

Caroline turned her son over onto his back and gasped when she cupped his bruised face. Already, his cheek was purple, most likely from where Rebekah had most likely hit him. There were scratches too, probably from falling down.

"Nick," Caroline shook him gently, trying to wake him up. She shook him harder when he didn't respond and ignored Klaus' shocked curse and Rebekah's shrill voice demanding answers.

"Nick, wake up," she said more firmly, "come on, sweetie, wake up." Caroline grew worried when he continued to just lie there. She pushed the blonde curls that had fallen over his eyes out of the way, gently patting his cheek.

"What the hell is this?" Rebekah demanded from behind her.

"Caroline?" Klaus called uncertainly, wanting an explanation that she couldn't answer just yet.

The young werewolf on the floor woke up with a start, almost butting heads with his mother as he sat up quickly. His head swiveled back and forth as he looked around the room until he finally locked eyes with Caroline, who he saw kneeled next to him.

"Mum, what's going on?" he asked slowly, still coming to.

Caroline sighed in relief and gripped his elbow to help pull him up to his feet.

"Yes, please tell us Caroline, what the _bloody hell_ is going on! What is this, some kind of sick joke?" Rebekah interjected.

Nick looked behind Caroline to see the girl who had knocked him out standing there with her arms crossed over her chest. He growled, pushing his mother behind him.

"What is this," Klaus cut in, his voice laced with barely concealed rage, and that was when Nick locked eyes with his _incarnation_.

Caroline could only watch as Klaus and Nick sized up each other, both frozen to the spot as they looked each other up and down. Klaus looked furious, and deeply confused, and she was pretty sure this was the exact reason why she needed to talk to him before something like this happened.

"Klaus, it's not what you're thinking," Caroline tried to reassure as she made her way around her son.

Klaus turned his attention to the woman he loved and stared at her with a mixture of emotions. Hurt, disbelief, incredulity, anger, disgust, and betrayal were the most prevalent ones.

"Explain," was all he said, and she winced at the lack of emotion in his voice. She squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath before she looked at him again.

However before she could speak, Nick cut in. "So she hasn't told you either? Well, don't I feel better about that," Nick snarked, turning to glare at his mother. "Here I thought I was the one left out of the loop. Yes, mother, why don't you explain to him what you never told me," he spat.

Caroline swallowed thickly. So he was still angry. _Great_.

"Wait a second..._mother_? Caroline is your _mother_?" Rebekah tried to clarify. "Caroline, just what the bloody hell have you been doing this past century?"

Caroline looked between the three of them before she finally rested her gaze on Klaus, who waited impatiently for her to explain, his expression disgusted.

"Why don't we move this conversation somewhere more comfortable," she hesitantly suggested. "It's a long story."

Without a word Klaus turned and headed to the right of the staircase, turning to her and gesturing angrily with his arm at a sitting room. She let Rebekah and Nick walk in front of her and winced as Klaus glared at her son as he walked past him, eyes watching his every move. When she approached him she glanced up quickly as she passed but he ignored her stare. She sighed sadly and sat down on one of the couches. Surprisingly, Klaus opted to sit on the same couch, even if he sat at the far edge of it his arm resting on the back of it in his usual arrogant manner.

When everyone was settled, Caroline took another deep breath before she delved into her long explanation.

"Nick is a reincarnation. He's you're reincarnation, Klaus," she said, looking over at him. Klaus frowned. "Basically, when Klaus died, a part of his human soul left him and has been put into different humans with his likeness throughout the past thousand years. The problem is that every single one of them died at age twenty five, which Tessa and I suspect was when you died..?"

Klaus gave one single nod.

"However, Nick is a werewolf and triggered his werewolf gene as a human, unlike Klaus. He's the first supernatural reincarnation that we know of and so we just recently figured out a way to prevent him from dying when he turns twenty five."

She looked at Nick once before looking directly at Klaus.

"He needs to turn into a hybrid," she said and watched as Klaus' eyes narrowed and he turned to look at his reincarnation, giving him a cold sneer. Nick just stared at him blankly, mask firmly in place.

"When he turns into a hybrid and his human side dies, the human part of your soul, Klaus, will be returned to you, breaking the 'reincarnation curse' as I like to call it," she gave an empty laugh.

"So that is why you are here, is it?" Klaus finally spoke. Caroline looked up at him worriedly. "You need me to turn your...son... into a hybrid so he won't die, am I correct?"

"Yes, that's why we're here, what the hell else would we be here for?" Nick interjected looking annoyed.

Caroline glared at her son and glanced warily at Klaus who just smirked evilly. She silently begged him not to tell Nick about their peculiar situation but it was useless. She could never stop Klaus from speaking his mind.

"Didn't your mother tell you?" he asked sadistically. Nick glanced between the couple across him. He watched incredulously as his mother looked down, a slight blush staining her cheeks. Klaus just grinned triumphantly.

"What the-? You have a thing for the man that looks exactly _like_ me? What the hell, mum!" he cried, standing up in shock. Caroline stood up to, ready to defend herself.

"Nick, just calm down," she said softly, her brows furrowed in worry as he looked ready to blow up.

"No! Just what else is there that you haven't told me? Or the _family_? Does Stefan even know about this? How can you even _look_ at him like that? Just what am I to you? A fucking _replacement_?!" he ranted.

Caroline snapped. That was enough of his accusations. He had no right to assume the worst of her.

"Nick, just _stop it_!" She yelled, silencing the room. He glared at her as she stared at him, chest heaving. "You have no right to accuse me of such things. Do you really think I would do something like that? After everything I have done for you, you really honestly believe that I am capable of doing that? Nick, I'm your _mother_."

Nick didn't say anything, but he did purse his lips.

Suddenly, this was all too overwhelming for Caroline and tears welled in her eyes.

"I didn't know that you would one day grow up to look like him," she said, defending herself as she glanced behind her at Klaus who showed some sort of regret when he saw her tears. She turned back to her son.

"You have always just been my son ever since I found you locked up in a...in a...cage," she choked, "You have never been his 'look-a-like' to me, even when you grew older and I found out that you were his reincarnation. Yes, you do look like him, but honestly he looks like he could be your father instead of your twin."

Caroline gently wiped her eyes. "You're my son, and I will always want you to be happy and this is what you wanted. You wanted to be a hybrid and the only way I could do that was bring you to Klaus. Along the way, we found out that you were his reincarnation. Okay, so what!" Caroline cried incredulously, throwing her hands up. "I have never, _ever,_ looked at or even _thought about_ you like I would him and I'm not going to start. So don't paint me out to be the person you're trying to make me be," she pleaded. Nick had the decency to look ashamed.

She turned around to face Klaus, who looked up at her with a similar expression. "This is why I wanted to tell you before you saw him without knowing why or how he looked like you. I...I'm sorry you had to find out this way and I really hope that you would never believe that I would do something as cruel and disgusting as that to my own son."

Klaus gazed at her guiltily and he stood, approaching her slowly. Gently, he took her hands in between his much like he did when she had brought him out of his hallucination so many years ago.

"Sweetheart, I am _so_ sorry," he apologized, bringing her hands up to kiss her knuckles. "Please forgive me, love. I promise I will do whatever it takes to save your son."

Caroline nodded imperceptibly and let him hold her hand as she turned back around to face Nick.

"I think we should head over to the house," she told him. "I'm sure they're worried about us." Nick nodded in agreement, standing up and making a gesture saying he would wait at the door.

Caroline watched him walk out of the room before looking at Rebekah who looked overwhelmed and still confused, but also curious. When she felt Caroline's stare she gave her a contemplating look, glancing at Klaus and hers' hands before standing up, shaking her head and leaving the room.

Caroline sighed and turned back to Klaus who put his arms around her waist. She closed her eyes to stop the tired tears from leaking but they did anyways. She returned his hug by wrapping her arms around his middle, resting her head on his chest.

"Shh, don't cry, sweetheart," Klaus soothed, rubbing her hair. "Things will work out, I promise."

She nodded against his chest and smiled sadly when he kissed her forehead as she pulled out of his arms.

"If you want," she began, "you can meet the rest of my family tomorrow. I'm sure Stefan would like to see you again. But don't even think of hurting Tessa. Do you understand me?"

Klaus grinned, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. "Of course, love. I'll be there."

Caroline gave him one last look before she turned and made her way to Nick, who stood patiently at the door, looking like a scolded child.

This was going to be a _long_ week.


	5. Chapter 5

Caroline and Nick arrived at the large mansion they would be staying at when the sun was just dropping out of the sky.

On the front porch steps sat Stefan with little Joanna bouncing on his lap at her mother's arrival. Stefan grinned at seeing his best friend and met her halfway, pulling her into a one-armed hug and smiling brightly when his little niece greeted her mother with a loud smack of her lips on her cheek.

"Mama," Joanna said, reaching for Caroline. Stefan deposited the little blonde bundle into her arms, kissing Joanna's cheek before letting go of her.

"Did you behave today for Uncle Stefan?" Caroline asked while walking inside with her daughter on her hip. Stefan watched them enter the house before turning to face a trailing Nick who looked entirely too somber.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Stefan inquired, grabbing Nick's shoulder. It was more a greeting than it was Stefan stopping Nick from walking inside.

Nick gave his uncle a weak smile. "Mother told me...about the reincarnation stuff," he explained. Stefan turned serious, taking a firm hold of his shoulders with both of his hands.

"Are you okay with it all? Did she explain everything to you?" Stefan checked. Nick nodded his head.

"Yes, she filled me in. It's just a little overwhelming, you know, when you look like the bloke that your mother has a thing for," Nick tried to relate but was shocked when Stefan's brows furrowed.

"Wait, did Caroline and Klaus... _see_ each other today?" he asked both concerned and curiously.

Nick nodded again, giving his uncle a look. "Yeah, _Rebekah_, I guess, knocked me out and the next thing I know, I'm waking up to mother trying to help me up to my feet and two originals staring at me like I was, I don't know, Lucifer?"

Stefan couldn't help but grin at that comment, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at his nephew. "Come on, it couldn't have been that bad. I'm sure with Caroline there, Klaus was pretty tame in behavior."

Nick scowled. "Please don't remind of that. It's still a sore spot with me right now." Stefan agreed with a single nod of his head.

With a sharp pat on his back, Stefan gripped the back of Nick's neck, leading him inside the house.

"Come on," he said, "let's go see how the rest of the family takes it."

* * *

_Burgas, Bulgaria_

Elijah Mikaelson kneeled down next to one solitary tombstone covered in beautiful bulgarian flowers. In his hand, he twirled a white rose between his fingers. The eldest living original smiled bittersweetly, gently setting down the rose in front of the stone. Threading his fingers together, he looked out over the cliff that stood over the Black sea.

"This marks your hundredth year, _Katerina_," he whispered softly, "as being moved on from this world."

His fingers knotted together more tightly as a wave of memories hit him.

"Not a day goes by where I don't think of you," he told her tombstone pretending that he was speaking to her. His brows furrowed in thought.

"I still regret that I could not be there for you when you passed on." He paused. "I'm sure you knew how much of a handful I had with Niklaus," he chuckled bitterly.

A lump rose in Elijah's throat, bringing tears to his eyes.

"I miss you, _Katerina_," he murmured fervently. "I miss you with all my being. You will always hold my heart no matter who I find companionship in, that I promise you."

Elijah stayed kneeled there for a long time, just lost in his memory of the woman he loved that had left him for the other side.

He was in the process of wiping at his eyes when his phone buzzed in his pocket. When he pulled it out he saw it was a call from his sister, Rebekah.

"Rebekah," he greeted, coughing to cover his hoarseness.

"Elijah, I'm sorry to disrupt you today," she said apologetically, "but there's something, or rather _someone_, that I think you need to see down here in New Orleans. It's so strange. I'm still having a hard time believing it."

Elijah frowned as he stood up. "Who is it?"

There was a sigh on the other line. "It involves Klaus. Apparently there have been _reincarnations_ of our brother throughout the past thousand years and we have never even noticed it. It is _so_ odd, Elijah, I really think you should see him for yourself."

"There is a reincarnation of our brother in New Orleans?" Elijah clarified incredulously.

"Yes. You need to come down here as soon as you can. I believe Caroline, the girl Nik fancied in Mystic Falls, could explain it all better than I could. She is his mother after all."

That one left the older Mikaelson brother pondering all the way back to New Orleans.

* * *

_New Orleans (Caroline's Rented Mansion)_

The family took it as best as they could. Stefan and Tessa already knew and Caroline was glad that she had Tessa to explain the curse in more detail.

Nick was still bothered about the whole 'similar appearances' thing and would be hard pressed to not glare at his mother whenever they locked eyes.

Joanna didn't really care for it and just continued to play with Caroline's curls as she explained to the rest of the family. Richard and the twins seemed okay with it and actually were excited that someone so old and powerful would be meeting them tomorrow. It didn't really phase them that their mother was gradually becoming more intimate with an older version of their brother.

Michael supported his mother as he always did and frowned disappointedly at his younger sibling when he was informed of his harshness with their mother. Nick just shrugged. The eldest Forbes sibling remained thoughtful of the whole thing, not really sure what to think of it since he had never seen the original hybrid before.

Eli was the same almost. He didn't really understand what the big deal was since he had never seen the man but he worried about his younger brother's extreme disapproval. Nick seemed really shaken by it and this helped Eli imagine Klaus in his head. Like Nick, it was hard for him to see his mother involved with a man that looked like his brother and therefore he felt empathy for both mother and brother.

The entire thing was explained after dinner in the living area and afterwards, Caroline allowed them their questions which she knew they had.

Eli was the first to speak. "Mother, just how much does he look like Nick?" he asked worriedly as he eyed his agitated brother. Caroline gave Nick the same worried glance and sighed.

She looked at Stefan who nodded at her, knowing that she wanted him to retrieve the picture she had of Klaus. She turned back to face Eli, who sat next to Nick, grasping his younger sibling's shoulder in support.

"Nick, I know you are still...weirded out by the whole thing," she started, "but you and I both know that Klaus looks a lot older than you."

Nick just gritted his teeth. "Mother, I know that he looks like he could be my _father,_" he told her exasperatedly, "but it still doesn't change the fact that it's really disturbing to me. It's going to take me a while to get used to the fact that you want to be romantically involved with someone that looks like me, your own son."

Caroline groaned, rubbing her temples tiredly. Tessa came over to her side and put her hand on her shoulder, showing her support. "Honey, I just missed him a lot and he was more so a good friend than anything," she explained. "We were never really on good terms for the longest time anyways, and we haven't kept in touch practically at _all_ the past century and half." Her three eldest sons listened intently to their mother while her younger children decided it was more interesting to wrestle with each other in the other room.

She looked pleadingly at Nick. "I know this is all so strange and weird and gross," she laughed lightly, "but it's not as extreme as you think it is. This is the first time Klaus and I have seen each other in person in a very long time and there's a lot of history between us, so what you saw today was just the two of us still calming down from a long-awaited reunion."

Eli seemed to be comforted by the new information and gave his brother a stern look, gripping his shoulder. "Nick, stop being such an ass to mother," he told him, shrugging innocently when Caroline gave him a look for swearing. Nick, on the other hand, looked extremely offended.

"Seriously, Eli?" he rounded on him. "You're going to take her side in this?! Do you even realize the full implications of what she is doing? It's like she's wanting to be with an older version of myself! Does that not disgust you at all?" he asked incredulously.

"_Nick_," Tessa interjected sternly when Caroline gave an exasperated cry, "stop being so callous and harsh to your mother," she demanded. Caroline had stood up, shaking her head as she grabbed the portrait from Stefan who had come back into the room.

"How can I _not_ be when I've seen what I've seen today?" Nick defended, throwing his hands up in the air.

Tessa turned her full glare on to him. "There are an infinite number of reasons as to why you should respect your mother's decisions," she said, her voice deadly and cold. Nick swallowed. His aunt could be terrifying when she was angry. "She has gone through enormous amounts of pain and sorrow taking care of you through each and everyone one of your monthly transformations. She has set all this up," she gestured at the house, "for you, so you can become the powerful being that you wish to be. Do you even realize what all she has done for the sake of your happiness? Just so you could be happy, and this is how you act when something strange happens. You are acting childish and immature about all of this," she growled, "and I suggest you apologize to your mother _now_."

Nick looked stricken and glanced at his mother who looked completely worn out by the situation. She came over to him after handing the portrait to Eli and Michael and put her arm around his shoulder. Nick looked down at his lap guiltily.

"It's okay, honey," she assured, smiling sadly at him. "I understand how this could bother you but I just want you to understand where I am coming from and not judge me so harshly."

Nick bit his lip, wincing when one ashamed tear slid down his cheek. He would never stop being thankful for his mother and all she had done for him growing up as a werewolf. If it wasn't for her...he didn't know where he would be right now. Probably dead. It was because of her that he could make it through the night of the full moon. It was because of _her_ that he had a family that supported and loved him. He would never be able to repay her for as long as he lived.

Looking up at his mother through red eyes, he whispered a hoarse and stricken apology.

"Oh, Nick," Caroline cried, bringing her son into her arms and hugging him tightly. He latched onto her, crying on her chest as his hands gripped the back of her shirt.

"I never blamed you, sweetheart," she whispered into his hair. She rubbed his back to calm him down and looked over his shoulder to see the rest of the family leaving them to talk in private. She smiled sadly into her son's blonde curls, bringing her hand up to run through them softly.

"You've done so much for me," he cried, "_too much_, and I've never told you or shown you how much that means to me. I've been so harsh and judgmental and I'm _so_ sorry."

Nick gave out a weak sob after that and buried his face in his hands, pulling away from Caroline. The young mother held him to her side with an arm around his shoulders, kissing his head.

"Sssh, Nick, it's okay," she whispered, pressing her forehead to his temple. "You've been through so much yourself and my only hope was that I could give you what you would have never gotten before. You are my child in every sense of the word, and I would have done everything I have done for you all over again in a heartbeat. I love you and the rest of your siblings _so much_," she murmured, smiling tearfully when Nick turned his head into her shoulder in response. "I will do everything I can to give each and every one of you the life that you all want and all I ask in return is your respect and love. Can you do that for me?"

Nick nodded, pulling away from Caroline and wiping the tears from his eyes. "I love you, mum. I promise that I will never judge you or be so rude again."

Caroline laughed lightly. "Nick, you are entitled to your own opinion and I'm sure there are going to be numerous other times in the future where you'll wonder about your own mother," they shared a laugh at that, "And I will always love you, sweetie. No matter what happens, just remember that, okay?"

Nick nodded.

Caroline leaned down to kiss his forehead again. "Come on, I think what we need is some good sleep," she suggested.

And with that being said, all was settled.

* * *

The next morning, Caroline told everyone about Klaus's upcoming visit and informed them that he would arrive around noon for a lunch with all of them(according to what his text message said). Apparently, they were going to also see Rebekah and Elijah as well. The news excited the children, mostly because they were eager to meet up close and personal the remaining original family.

Caroline just rolled her eyes at them. "They're not as special as you think, kids," she tried to tell them but Kolby and Kory weren't having any of it.

"But, mum, they're a _thousand_ years old! They've seen everything! You told us that Klaus was a friend of _Magellan_! Just think of all the famous people they could've met!" Kory said enthusiastically.

Suffice it to say, her little ones were really excited to meet them.

Caroline rolled her eyes at Stefan, who gave her a conspiratorial grin.

Tessa, however, felt indignant at her nephew's excitement. "_Hey_, I'm over two-thousand years old and you were never this excited about what_ I_ could have seen!" she teased Kory, who shook his hand flippantly at her.

"Yeah, but you weren't alive for most of those years!" he reasoned. "The originals...they're so cool and I haven't even _met_ them yet!"

Tessa's mouth dropped. "I _created_ immortality!"

Her attempt to better the original family's reputation was futile. Both the twins and Richard ignored their aunt to talk more about what they were going to ask Klaus, Rebekah, and Elijah when they showed up.

Caroline laughed and patted her sister on the shoulder. "Oh, cheer up, Tessa," she said, grinning at her pout, "Stefan and I still think you're cool."

Tessa just glared at both of them when they proceeded to laugh again at her expense.

* * *

A half-hour until noon and Caroline's palms were sweating.

She had told the children to dress nicely for their visitors and they were currently in their rooms doing just that. Tessa was dressing Joanna up in her room and Stefan was helping inform the human caretakers on what they would be doing for the remainder of the day. Caroline had decided that having a regular human lunch would be more suitable than what they normally did which was have the caretakers offer their blood. So right now the caretakers were giving the children their blood as to sate them through the rest of the day so they wouldn't be so antsy.

Caroline's caretaker, Meredith, was currently waiting on her to feed. Meredith was in her late fifties but looked healthy as ever because of her vampire mistress' blood. The older caretaker appealed to her mistress pleadingly, hoping to calm her down.

"Milady, you need to feed. It will help with the nerves," she said, meeting her mistress' eye as Caroline glanced behind her.

Caroline groaned. "I know, I know. I don't even know why this is hyping me up so much," she wondered as she walked over to Meredith. Picking up her caretaker's wrist, she sliced a thin line along the edge of her skin with a special metal poker that Caroline wore on her thumb. She had followed _Lestat's_ example from the movie _Interview With a Vampire_ (yes, she actually did do this), and had several similar pieces made for her children. It was used mainly for when at the dinner table. The caretakers' blood would be poured into glasses and this method was much less messy.

She gave an understanding look at Meredith's wince and gently sucked at the wound. Almost instantly, Caroline's nerves settled and she felt more composed than before. After a few more moments of feeding, Caroline pulled her mouth away from Meredith's wrist and poked her index finger with her little thumb tool, rubbing her vampire blood over the open wound.

When the wound healed completely, Meredith bowed her head thankfully at her mistress.

Caroline sighed. "You may go back to your chambers, Meredith. I will not be needing your services for the rest of the day so do as you wish but remain inside the property boundaries, please," she instructed the caretaker who bowed once more before leaving the front lobby.

Caroline was left alone in the main lobby of the mansion and looked over at one of the clocks that read fifteen till noon.

_It was getting close_.

Her vampire hearing let her know that currently her children were finishing up on getting their daily blood from their caretakers. Stefan had joined Tessa in her room and was helping keep Joanna under control while the greedy girl fed.

Michael was the first to join her downstairs and patted his mother gently on the back.

"Everything will be fine, mother," he assured her. "You'll have the twins and Richard to keep our visitors on their toes anyways. Don't worry about it so much. I promise I won't let any of my siblings cause too much trouble."

Caroline scoffed, and her eldest son grinned. "Yeah, good luck containing the boys, Michael."

"Have some faith in me, mum," Michael laughed, putting his arm around her shoulders. "I'll just give them my serious glare and they'll be cowering in no time."

Caroline chuckled and patted her son's stomach. He had decided on a nice dress shirt and black blazer along with matching black dress pants. He had left his hair un-gelled and his black curls covered his forehead and ears. He would look a lot like Eli today.

"You look nice, sweetie," she commented, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair. Michael grinned.

"Well, it's not every day that you meet the original family, now is it? After all, I'm curious as to see just _how_ dysfunctional that family really is."

Caroline slapped his arm reproachfully but agreed with him. There was so much that had happened between Klaus, Rebekah, and Elijah and Caroline was sure she didn't want to know. It would most likely give her a massive headache.

"Mama, mama, wook! I'm pwetty!" Joanna called from atop the staircase. Caroline turned and saw Stefan holding Joanna in one arm as he made his way downstairs with Tessa beside him.

Stefan had opted for almost the same outfit as Michael but he added a black tie onto his ensemble. Tessa wore a simple yet beautiful blue dress that went to her ankles. Joanna's curls were extra bouncy for their company today and Caroline aww'd at the outfit she wore. Tessa had dressed her in a deep blue dress. What was ironic about it was that the little dress had the same style as the one Klaus had given Caroline so long ago except for the fact that it didn't have all the diamonds or embellishments on it.

"Joanna, you look so pretty!" Caroline cooed, opening her arms up for Joanna to run into. Joanna jumped up eagerly into her mother's arms, giggling and wrapping her small arms around Caroline's neck.

"Stefan says I look like a pwincess!" Joanna told her excitedly. Caroline grinned at her daughter and kissed her cheek.

"You're the _cutest_ little princess I've ever seen," she whispered into her ear. Joanna giggled, and when Caroline pulled back, Joanna patted her mother's cheek.

"I'm a pwincess, but you a qwueen, mama!" she told her. Caroline smiled brighly at her daughter's compliment.

Caroline didn't want to dress too formally for the lunch so she decided to wear one of her more casual dresses but nice enough for a somewhat formal lunch. The magenta-colored dress reached down to the edge of her thighs and fitted tightly around her form. It was cut off at the shoulders and had a sweetheart neckline that revealed only the dip of her collarbone. She had put on light makeup and styled her hair into an elegant bun settled against the back of her neck.

As the rest of the children gathered in the main lobby, Caroline gave a grateful look up at Stefan when he settled his arm around her shoulders in support. Her best friend kissed her temple, whispering, "Relax. Klaus won't be able to keep his eyes off you."

She elbowed him at that.

Caroline's breath caught in her throat when she heard the tell-tale sign of their arrival. Outside, a car was pulling into the driveway and she heard Toby and John, Caroline's guards, greet them.

"I didn't know Caroline could be so _formal_," she heard Rebekah comment thoughtfully.

Her comment was met with hums of agreement by her brothers and Caroline could feel her heart beat faster with every step they took closer to the door.

Toby and John both opened up the double doors then and formally announced their arrival.

"Milady, your guests Niklaus, Elijah, and Rebekah Mikaelson," they said at the same time.

Across the large span of the lobby, Caroline and Klaus locked eyes with each other. Klaus' mouth parted slightly as he looked her up and down, not noticing the little girl on her hip or the large family all around her.

All he could see was his beautiful Caroline looking for all the world, a queen, standing in the center of the room.

After a moment, Klaus smiled wistfully at her. "That was quite an introduction, love," he commented, giving her a wry grin. "But, I suppose it makes sense. You _are_ a queen, after all."


	6. Chapter 6

There was a mixture of reactions that came after Klaus' remark.

Caroline blushed.

The twins were in awe.

Joanna agreed wholeheartedly.

Richard nervously hid behind his mother's side.

Michael raised an eyebrow.

Eli put his hand on Nick's shoulder.

Stefan grinned at his best friend's expression.

Tessa narrowed her eyes.

And Nick turned his body to block his mother from the group of originals, giving a low growl.

With barely contained excitement, Kolby and Kory leaned forward eagerly. "Wow," they said together.

Before they could both verbally and physically assault the infamous family of originals, Stefan pulled on both of their shirt collars.

"Hey!" Kory protested as he was yanked backwards into Stefan's side along with his twin, Kolby.

"Come on, Stefan! You're embarrassing me!" Kolby whined as he glanced at Klaus and Elijah, both amused by the scene.

Stefan put his arms around his nephews, grinning at their struggles. "Boys, why don't you save the interrogation for when we sit down and eat?"

His tone left no room for argument and with loud humphs of disapproval, the twins crossed their arms over their chests and proceeded to pout.

"Miss Forbes, surely you have not been misinforming your children of our reputation, have you?" Elijah asked, giving the younger vampire a small grin of amusement. Caroline rolled her eyes, breaking the awkward tension of the room. She smiled warmly at the honorable original.

"I keep on trying to tell them but they won't listen," Caroline said, teasingly ruffling Kory's hair. Kory slapped his mother's hand away, still mad because he was humiliated in front of the famous originals.

Turning back to Elijah, she walked across the room to greet him. Elijah held his hand out to her and she took it firmly in one of her own, leaning up on tip toe to put her lips against his ear.

"I have something to give to you before you leave today," she whispered. When she pulled back and released his hand, he was looking at her strangely but nodded in acknowledgement.

Caroline gave Rebekah a soft smile. "It's good to see you again, Rebekah," she greeted. The older blonde gave Caroline a long look before sighing.

"I suppose it is good to see you too, Caroline," she concluded after a moment.

Caroline finally turned to the one that had her heart beating hours before he even arrived.

In one of his typical poses, Klaus had his hands locked behind his back as he met Caroline's gaze. With a look saying, 'come hither', he stepped towards her, smirk firmly in place.

"Do I get a hug or are you going to shake hands with me like Elijah?" he teased lightly, smirk widening when she gave him a look.

"You'll get nothing if you keep up this arrogant act around my children," she told him as he pulled her into his arms. She grinned knowingly at him. "I take that back. I could make an example out of you. Show them what happens to those who let power corrupt-

She was cut off when Klaus squeezed her sides none too gently. Laughing, Caroline put her hand on his shoulder as she gestured to her family.

"Klaus, Rebekah, Elijah," she named off. "I would like to introduce you to my family."

As if on cue, the kids all moved to within shaking hand distance of the special guests. Caroline stepped away from Klaus to pull Joanna up onto her hip.

Caroline wasn't surprised when her daughter turned to face the much older supernatural beings oozing confidence. Her little girl was quite sure of herself.

"This is my daughter, Joanna," Caroline told them, glancing at Klaus who smiled wistfully at the outfit Joanna had on, looking at Caroline with raised eyebrow. Caroline shrugged before looking down at her daughter.

"Joanna, can you say hello to our guests?" Caroline prodded. Joanna gave one single, determined nod, amusing Elijah and Klaus.

She greeted Rebekah first with a sort-of compliment. "You'we pwetty, but mama says you can be weally sensitive about things."

Caroline's eyes widened in horror as those in the room who knew Rebekah broke out into loud laughter. Caroline didn't think she had ever seen Klaus so carefree as he guffawed at Rebekah's indignant expression.

Next to her, Stefan continued to shake his head at his niece and Caroline. "What did I tell you about gossiping to Joanna?" he asked her rhetorically, taking the two-year old out of her mother's arms and into his own.

Caroline looked at the offended original apologetically. "I'm _so_ sorry, uh, sometimes she just hears things and exaggerates them."

Rebekah looked at Caroline, exasperated. "Really, Caroline, out of all the things you could tell your daughter about me and _that_ is what you tell her?"

Caroline couldn't say anything to refute her so she just shrugged.

"_Ahem_, well, moving on," Caroline coughed, bringing her son Richard in front of her. The poor boy gripped his mother's dress like a lifeline, staring warily up at the visitors. Caroline's gaze softened as she looked down at her terrified son. Gently, she turned him around to face the originals with his back pressed to her. She kept her hands on his shoulders in support as he tried to avoid eye contact with them.

"This is Richard," she introduced warmly. "He's my youngest son and is actually Joanna's biological older brother. He's a little shy, but I'm sure he'll open up when we eat."

Elijah kneeled down next to the terrified boy who pushed as far back as he could into his mother's legs. The eldest original held his hand out for Richard to shake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Richard," he greeted. After Caroline's encouragement, Richard finally shook Elijah's hand, his other still gripping his mother's dress.

"Mother says you are the nicer brother," Richard stated. Elijah's lips quirked at the comment.

Behind Elijah, Klaus glared at a flushed Caroline. She gave him an innocent smile and soon he was shaking his head at her, affirming his forgiveness.

"Your mother is very kind to me, Richard, but I'll give you some advice," Elijah told the suddenly attentive boy, "never trust another's word until it is proven openly."

With that parting wisdom, Elijah stood up, patting Richard on the shoulder. The youngest Forbes son nodded solemnly at Elijah before he moved behind Caroline again.

"Kolby, Kory," she called her twins who were currently being restrained by Tessa who had them under a holding spell. She looked at her rambunctious boys sternly. "You are each allowed one question. You will not be able to interrogate our guests until we are in the dining room, do you understand?"

Tessa had also had her hands over the boys' mouths to prevent them from shooting off random questions and released the boys when Caroline nodded her head.

Kolby approached Klaus, coughing to clear his throat as he held out his hand for him to shake.

Grinning in amusement, Klaus shook the boy's hand firmly. "And what question would you have for _me_, Kolby?"

Kolby grinned. "Did you ever meet Nostradamus?! And if you did, what was he like?" he asked quickly, eyes brightening.

And that was when the original siblings knew they were going to have a long day.

* * *

The table they were going to eat lunch at was large and circular, enough to hold thirteen supernatural beings. Plus, it kept conversation easier and you could see everyone without having to lean over the table.

There wasn't any sort of criteria for the seating arrangements so it was first come first serve. Even little Joanna had her own seat, right in between those rascal twins.

Elijah and Rebekah found their seats next to each other and Caroline blushed slightly when Klaus sat down, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, next to her. When she glanced at her son Nick, he looked about to sit down next to her as well but her older son Michael saved her the awkward situation and took the seat on her other side. Nick just glared a little before sitting on Michael's other side next to Eli. Richard sat in between Rebekah and Kory. Stefan sat next to Eli with Tessa beside him.

Food was displayed on the table as Caroline didn't have any of her paid servants to serve her. She had chosen a nice seafood lunch, getting her guards Toby and John to go grab as much crawfish and lobster as they could.

She was feeding six boys after all.

After everyone was settled she picked up her glass in a toast. Everyone that was of drinking age followed suit. Caroline grinned at her daughter when she pouted.

"I propose a toast, that hopefully we will all make it out of this lunch _not_ a mess. I also would like to dedicate this special gathering to a new beginning for my son, Nick," she met his eyes and smiled warmly at him. He grinned at her. Beside her, Klaus was watching the two interact with curious eyes. "Lord knows how much of a menace he is if he doesn't get his way," the older vampires shared a knowing laugh, "but there's no stopping him when he has a goal in his mind. I pray that whatever happens from here on out goes smoothly, with no harm done to any of us. So," she finally ended her little speech, looking at all of her children before she finished.

"To things going smoothly!" she toasted, chuckling.

The table repeated her toast and drank the fine wine to finalize it.

Caroline glared at her two boys, Kolby and Kory, as they reached across Joanna to grab at some of the crawfish, placing handfuls of the famous Louisiana food on their plates.

Tessa frowned at their unmannered habits and proceeded to make the boiled crawfish jump as if they were alive.

"Boys!" Caroline admonished when they took advantage of the situation to make the supposed punishment into a game. The crawfish would jump at least two, three, feet in the air and Kolby and Kory would push on the table just to reach them. Between the twins, Joanna was going between giggling hysterically to screaming in fright.

"Shall I go out a fetch a couple of rabbits for you to feed on tonight?" The young mother suggested, smirking when they ceased their disrupting movement in half a second.

Beside her, Klaus grinned, watching how she handled the situation and also knowing full well the taste of animal blood and how horrible it really was. He sympathized for any vampire who was forced to drink that disgusting blood.

"We'll be good! Promise!"

"Please don't make us drink that, mom! It's so gross!"

"Aunt Tessa was the one who made the food jump! It wasn't our fault!"

Caroline raised an eyebrow at their responses, making them sweat in their seats. "First of all, you were acting like starving dogs," she began, "And secondly, if you continue to behave like barbarians in front of my guests, you won't see human blood for the rest of the week. How does that sound?"

The twins shook their heads rapidly in disagreement.

"Please, mom, we're sorry! Don't make us drink animal blood, please!"

Caroline narrowed her eyes. "Stop begging," she chided them. They both straightened up at their mother's demand. "Now apologize to your guests for behaving so rudely."

With slight humiliation, they turned to face Klaus, Rebekah, and Elijah.

Klaus put on his best 'scary' look, just to further make the boys uncomfortable. Underneath the table he felt Caroline pinch his thigh. Elijah remained stoic and Rebekah raised an eyebrow at the rowdy twins.

"We apologize for the disruptance. It won't happen again," they promised, trying to avoid eye contact with the much older vampires and hybrid.

Klaus leaned forward in his seat. "All is forgiven boys," he assured, grinning at them as they beamed. "Besides, I would not want to reduce you to drinking that awful animal blood. It is quite disgusting if I remember."

Caroline rolled her eyes as her twins thanked the original hybrid repeatedly. Great, now they were hero-worshipping Klaus.

The round table resumed eating and for a while it was enjoyed in silence until Elijah, surprisingly, broke it with a question directed at Nick.

"So, Nick," he started. Across the table, Nick gave the much older vampire his attention. "You wish to become a hybrid, do you?"

Nick nodded, glancing quickly at Klaus whose eyes perked up in interest at the turn of conversation.

"May I ask why?" Elijah inquired as politely as he could.

In his seat, Nick sat up straighter. He looked at his mother who smiled gently at him, already knowing his answer.

"My reason has changed slightly since I just recently found out that the only way to escape my future death would be to turn into a hybrid. But my previous reason was to live as long as my family will. I am human, even if I am a werewolf and that was sure to catch up with at some point," he said.

Caroline winced, remembering the horrible nights where she agonized over every birthday where he got one year closer to twenty-five.

"I wish to protect my family without having to always be cautious on nights other than the full moon. My family isn't exactly the normal one in this world as you well know," he said, eyes darkening from certain bad memories. "We have occasionally been attacked simply for what we were. When people don't understand things they often try to eradicate them."

Michael put his arm around his mother when he heard her intake of breath. Caroline leaned heavily on her eldest son, trying to erase those terrible memories of werewolves and vampires attacking her family just because of what they were doing.

Klaus frowned worriedly at Caroline's shaken form and reached underneath the table to grab her hand, lacing her fingers with his. She looked at him gratefully, squeezing his hand in response.

Nick watched the couple for a second before returning his attention to Elijah.

A knowing quirk of his lips foretold a happier tone of conversation.

"Besides," he began, grinning at Klaus. The man in question narrowed his eyes at his reincarnation. "Mother has already threatened what will happen to me if I ever decide to go power crazy and take out family members if they stand in my way. She finds it utterly preposterous that someone would kill or desecate their own family just because said family disagrees with their decisions."

Caroline's eyes widened at her son's admission before she simple broke out into loud peals of laughter. The vampires at the table who knew the 'said family member' who actually did this joined in, their laughter rising in volume when they looked at the only indignant man at the table.

Klaus was feeling very attacked right now.

He glared at Nick before he turned to place his full fury on his girl. She was currently watching him frown and glare and would laugh harder with every look at his face. She winced when the angry hybrid crushed her hand in his.

She gave him her full glare and snatched her hand away from his, pointedly deciding to give him the cold shoulder. Klaus sighed.

Elijah was still chuckling as he told Nick, "I agree wholeheartedly with your mother."

* * *

Caroline and Klaus stood on the balcony of her bedroom, looking out over the railing down below where her children along with Stefan and Tessa played their special version of tag.

Beside her, Klaus frowned, his eyes wandering over the back yard in search for the hidden children.

Caroline smirked at his expression, moving closer to him and wrapping her arm around his waist. Klaus turned to her and smiled, his attention now on her as he put his arm around her shoulders.

"They're there. Tessa just made them invisible, only revealing their smell," she explained to him, watching Eli make his way around the woods.

"We play games like these to help enhance their senses and abilities. I want them to be as strong as they can as vampires. The stronger they are, the less likely they are to be killed in a fight," she said, putting her other arm around his middle and resting her head on his chest .

Klaus leaned down to kiss her head. "Sweetheart, the power of your family rivals that of my own," he reassured. "You are an exceptional mother, love. You've raised them well."

The younger vampire sighed softly, whispering a thanks. She leaned back to look up at him when he pulled around to face him.

He smiled gently at her as he pushed stray strands of hair off her face. He leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead but decided to move his lips along her closed eyes, cheekbones, jaw until, without even realizing it, he was kissing her.

Caroline only hesitated one second before she was kissing him back.

You would think that numerous emotions would run through the two, what with their history, but it was the exact opposite in reality.

Fireworks did not go off. The earth did not fall off its axis. She didn't feel the need to suddenly jump his bones at the touch of his lips.

Instead, she felt as if home was where he was. She felt that she had finally found home in his kiss.

She smiled and felt her heart stutter when Klaus simply moved his lips to run along her jaw. She reached up to cover the hands that cupped her jaw.

"You're so beautiful," she heard him murmur behind her ear as he brushed his lips along the soft skin beneath it.

Caroline didn't say anything. She basked in his affection and the way she felt cherished with every brush of his lips along her skin.

She could live in this moment forever.

"Klaus," she murmured when he continued to kiss along her neck. With a glance down, she met eyes with Nick.

And with that one look from her son, she knew that she needed to move this somewhere else.

"Can we not do this in front of my kids?" she pleaded.

Klaus looked out into the backyard where a certain werewolf was stalking off into the woods.

He sighed, nodding at Caroline.

"Of course, love," he assured her.

She smiled gratefully, taking his hand in hers as she tugged him inside. With a seductive grin, she pushed him against the wall as he kicked the balcony doors shut.

"I never said we should stop, though," she purred, gripping the edges of his henley.

Klaus smirked, sliding his hands along her backside and pulling her up underneath her thighs. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, her fingers tangling in his hair.

"I agree," he growled against her lips.

* * *

Deep in the woods, a cry rang out, and somewhere not far from the scream, Eli Forbes froze.

"_Richard_!"


End file.
